


Art School

by Andwecanmessaround



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Alcohol, Alternate Universe - Art School, Background poly cool kids, F/F, I headcanoned Pearl as demisexual in this fic but it's not really that obvious from the text
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-31
Updated: 2015-06-08
Packaged: 2018-04-02 03:26:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,190
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4044070
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Andwecanmessaround/pseuds/Andwecanmessaround
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Art School AU!</p>
<p>Pearl is furious when she finds out Garnet has chosen to sign up for an extra credit class that requires she find and draw someone naked.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

“I don’t know’” Pearl growled down the phone, in a tone that suggested she thought she very much did know,and if you disagreed she may hurt you “is it so very unreasonableof me to expect that when my girlfriend, who also happens to be my roommate _and_ my classmate, chooses to take the module which involves _drawing someone else naked_ that she might mention it to me? She never thought that this might be something that would affect me even in the slightest?” by now the other customers in the coffee shop were all surreptitiously glancing at the strawberry blonde ranting loudly down the phone at the table in the corner, some in annoyance, some in amusement, some even looked slightly afraid. 

“You’re thinking into this way too much P,” her step-sister Amethyst replied, the only person in the world brave enough to use a nickname for her sister or even try to reason with her during one of her rants, “Garnet is so serious she probably hasn’t even thought about the fact that this could be considered inappropriate. She’ll be thinking about this 100% artistically. Now if it was me we were talking about, hell yeah I’d be enjoying staring at some hot girl or guy naked but Garnet…nah. If she picks a hottie let me know, I wanna draw too. Maybe I’m more of a sculptor though, like to feel things up, ya know?” She could almost hear Amethyst waggling her eyebrows exaggeratedly 

Pearl sighed. “You’re utterly disgusting,” but her voice had no bite any more, just an exasperated fondness. 

“Just talk to her about it. And actually listen to what she has to say! I have to go my shift at the garage is starting soon. Love ya sis!” 

“Love you too,” Pearl said as she took the phone from her ear, and felt her face heat up as she realised half the café were studiously avoiding meeting her gaze. She knew exactly what Amethyst would do in this situation, get up and yell something like ‘Take a picture - it’ll last longer!’ but she wasn’t anywhere near as brave as her younger sibling so she just quickly finished her chai tea, pulled her long grey cardigan back on, and hurriedly left. 

She was freezing by the time she got back to their flat, her nose and ears felt numb with the cold. The place was empty, Garnet was at a Friday night football match with three of her friends, or so she said. She may be going out for drinks after if their team won, so she’d told Pearl not to wait up. 

Or so she said?

Pearl felt guilty for even thinking that. That was unfair. Garnet would never cheat on her. She pushed those thoughts out of her head, retreated to her room and wrapped herself in blankets to watch the TV with a bowl of cereal - there was no way they could afford to have the heating on. She immersed herself in the Friday night film that was just starting on a random channel she’d flicked to and forgot all about Garnet. 

  
She must have drifted off, It was dark when Pearl woke to the sound of someone loudly attempting to force the lock in the front door. She felt all the blood leave her face and she stayed in the bed, hoping they’d give up and move on. When the rattling become more insistent she slid out of the bed and crept out of her room and across the corridor to Garnet’s bedroom door. 

“Garnet!” she hissed, but no one answered. 

The front door slammed open and Pearl screamed and spun round to see four people burst into the living room

“Shh! It’s just us!” One of them said in a hushed voice, whilst the other three giggled loudly, shushing each other exaggeratedly and staggering across the living round to collapse on the couch. Well Garnet managed to land on the couch, of the other two one bounced off the arm of the couch and one fell onto the wooden coffee table where he lay groaning in agony. That set the other two off snickering again and eventually the wounded drunk joined in. Pearl recognised them as Garnet’s friends Buck and Sour Cream. The pair’s girlfriend Kiki didn’t drink, so presumably she was the sober figure still stood in the doorway. 

Pearl crossed the room to switch the light on (to pained noises from the three drunk students by the couch) and invite Kiki in, closing the door behind her. Kiki dropped Garnet’s front door key into Pearl’s hand. 

“Kinda hard to unlock and open a door whilst also stopping these three from falling down the stairs,” she pointed out at Pearl’s raised eyebrow. 

“What happened to you all?” 

“Good old Sour cream here,” she gestured to the blonde student collapsed on the coffee table “decided to set up a drinking contest. Drinking fireball whisky. Straight. The whole team are totally wasted man, it’s hilarious! Except me, but you know I don’t drink. Garnet enjoyed herself though. A bit too much maybe, but it was nice to see her leg off some steam for once.” 

Pearl had seen Buck and Sour Cream drunk at least once or twice a month for the last couple of years she’d known them. Garnet joined in with most of their drinking, but always stayed sober enough to look after her two friends, it wasn’t uncommon for her and Kiki to have to literally carry the two guys home. Garnet was so sensible with alcohol normally, Pearl had never seen her anywhere near this intoxicated before. 

“I should probably get out of your hair, and take these two idiots with me,” Kiki gestured to the door. Her boyfriends didn’t move.

“You can stay on the couch if you want, I’ll get you some blankets,” Pearl offered out of courtesy, trying to hide her great relief when the trio politely declined. She helped Kiki manoeuvre the two limp boys out of the flat, down the flights of stairs and into the back seats of Kiki’s car with great difficulty. 

“Good luck with Garnet tonight.” Kiki laughed as she clambered out of the backseat and stood leaning casually on the car.  
“Er, yes…good luck with those two.” Pearl responded, hoping they’d get the hint she was ready for them to leave now, she’d never understand these people and she didn’t want to really. 

“I’m sorry, I know you two had something special planned for tonight.” Kiki smirked a little. 

“We did?” Pearl said, utterly bewildered. 

“Oh,” Kiki’s eyes widened a little and she exhaled a visible puff of air in the cold. “Garnet said she had something to do tonight that she was afraid of so we suggested she have a little Dutch courage. We assumed you two were finally gonna do it.”

“Wha-How do-You don’t-We?” Pearl sputtered and she heard Buck and Sour cream guffaw before sniggering in the car. 

“We’ve known Garnet since we were twelve Pearl, she has no secrets from us, especially once there’s alcohol involved,” Kiki grinned at the blushing girl, who made an excuse about the cold, wished them a polite but curt goodbye, and turned to escape back to her flat and away from those laughing buffoons. 

Garnet was still on the couch when Pearl returned. 

“You look mad.” She said, squinting between her fingers to block out the light, and sitting up slightly on the couch. “Don’t be angry at them. We were just having some fun. You should join us some time, I keep telling you, you’d like them if you got to know them better.”

“I’m not mad,” Pearl said through gritted teeth.

‘She has no secrets from us’ Kiki had said, smiling, and even though she knew logically that there was no way the girl had been deliberately mocking her, all she could think about was that Garnet had probably mentioned the life drawing module to _them_. 

“I’m entitled to blow off some steam every once in a while, stop acting so high and mighty.” 

What had Garnet been planning to do tonight? Pearl realised with dawning horror that it must’ve been something big – Garnet was never afraid. Had Garnet been planning to break up with her? The thought defused any of the heated replies Pearl had considered making. 

“Do you want a glass of water?” Was the best idea for a neutral sentence that Pearl could come up with. 

“Would love one. Could turn light off s’well. Thanks.” Garnet slurred, half asleep already. 

Pearl retrieved a spare duvet and a pillow from Garnet’s room and draped the duvet over her, tapping Garnet so you could raise her head long enough for Pearl to slide the soft cotton under her. The taller girl made a satisfied noise and nestled into the quilt as Pearl turned off the light and pulled the bin over to beside the couch. . 

“I screwed up,” she heard Garnet mutter quietly as Pearl pressed a soft goodnight kiss on her forehead. 

“No, it’s ok, I was being too harsh on you and your friends, you’re entitled to your fun.” Her brow still wrinkled a little in distaste at the words ‘friends’ and ‘fun’ but she tried to carefully keep her voice light and if Garnet noticed she didn’t point it out. 

“No,” Garnet said sleepily “I was gonna ask you-“

“Ask me what?” Pearl said, leaning over her girlfriend still. 

“It’s silly. You would say no. Bad idea.” Garnet’s mumbling became more and more incoherent as she drifted off to sleep and try as she might Pearl couldn’t wake her again. In the end she gave up and went back to her room, trying to figure out what Garnet was going to say.


	2. Chapter 2

“Oh my god P!” Amethyst cackled down the phone in the morning, once Pearl had finished recounting last night’s events. “You honestly don’t realise what she was gonna ask you?”

“Do you always have to be this difficult?” Pearl groaned, irritable from a poor night’s sleep. 

“She wants you to model for her! Duh. But she thinks you’re too shy I guess.” 

Even though she knew she shouldn’t get her hopes up, she couldn’t deny the shock of excitement and fear that ran through her at the thought. 

“You really think so? What should I do?”

“Oh my god,” Amethyst groaned, dragging out the last word, “I’m not going to spell it out for you! I don’t need those kinds of mental images, just do what feels right to you…or whatever. I’m going now, it’s way too early in the day for this… this ickiness! Gross! Later nerd.”

Pearl rolled her eyes as her sister hung up.

“That girl has a serious attitude problem,” she said to herself, climbing out of bed to start her daily morning routine.  
_________

It was after 11 when Pearl entered the living room. Garnet was still under the duvet but seemed at least partially awake and watching TV, though most of her face was obscured by her hair so it was hard to tell. 

“So, how was last night?” Pearl asked, which was returned with a long groan in response. 

“Do you feel able to handle a cooked breakfast? I could make us one!” She offered, and received an even more drawn out and pained groan as Garnet pulled the duvet over her head. Pearl took that as a no, and left another glass of water on the coffee table in front of her hungover girlfriend instead, removing last night’s drink and pouring it away. Pearl began humming gently to herself as she filled the sink up with hot water and began cleaning dishes. 

Pearl had always found cleaning therapeutic, something about making a recognisable difference, and the simple repetitive actions, relaxed her. She set about scrubbing and freshening up the kitchen for an hour while Garnet lay peacefully on the couch. Eventually the redhead heard Garnet get up and stagger into the shower, while Pearl was cleaning the blinds, and fifteen minutes later as she was just finishing up, she felt a pair of arms wrap around her from behind, and gratefully leaned backwards into the embrace, tilting her head up to look at Garnet. 

“You’re finally up then, I thought you were going to sleep there all day.” Pearl teased. 

“You sound like my mother.“ Garnet chuckled a little, before turning serious, "I’m sorry about last night, I’ve never been that drunk before.” The taller girl broke eye contact and moved out of the embrace slightly to rub her neck with one hand. 

“Well we are students,” Pearl shrugged “it was bound to happen at some point.”

“Still embarrassing though.” Garnet muttered,her skin was dark enough to hide the blood rushing to her face, but she never managed to hold eye contact when embarrassed, so it was always blatantly obvious to anyone who knew her. 

If Garnet was embarrassed, then she must remember what she’d said last night. 

_You would say no. Bad idea._

Would she? It was one thing to be upset about your girlfriend drawing someone else naked, it was another to let your girlfriend draw you. The two had seen each other unclothed before, but that was usually at night, after a couple of drinks, and with both of them in similar states of undress. This would be a completely different and more imbalanced situation and it made Pearl’s cheeks heat up in embarrassment just thinking about it. But she also couldn’t deny that the thought of it sent a jolt of excitement through her whole body. 

“Pearl?” Garnet said, a tinge of discomfort and concern in her voice, and Pearl realised she’d been ignoring the other woman for several seconds now to stare straight ahead. 

She took a deep breath of lemon detergent scented air, in hopes of steadying her rapidly beating heart. 

“Were you going to ask if you could draw me for your project last night?” She said, trying to keep her voice level but cringing as she heard herself talk. Even to her own ears it came off as fake and overly cheerful.

“I was considering it, but I thought you wouldn’t be comfortable doing that. Don’t worry about it, I realised what a terrible idea it was this morning, I’m gonna pool my money with a few other students and we’ll hire an amateur model to pose at the community centre for a couple hours.”

Pearl absentmindedly ran her fingers along the kitchen worktops, nodding and smiling at her girlfriend, trying to distract herself from the surprisingly strong feeling of disappointment. 

_________________

  
She tried not to think about it all day but it was constantly lingering in the back of her head the whole day. It was the early evening when she finally mustered up the courage to blurt it out. 

Pearl wasn’t sure what triggered the outburst. She was sitting on the kitchen counter, watching Garnet prepare dinner, the room lit only by the dim orange light of the living room lamp and a few candles, and when Garnet lifted her eyes to smile gently at her it was as if a dam had burst in her mind. 

“I want you to do it!”

Garnet’s brow furrowed.

“Do wha-“ the taller girl’s eyes widened in understanding “seriously? You’re sure?”

“Yes Garnet I want you to draw me. Please.” 

Garnet crossed the kitchen in one stride and cupped her girlfriend’s face with one hand, pulling her in for a lingering kiss, as Pearl wrapped her legs around Garnet’s waist to pull her in closer, pushing her hands under the other girl’s shirt and sliding them up her back as the kiss deepened and Garnet’s hand tightened, her nails digging into Pearl’s neck slightly. Garnet’s face was hot against Pearl’s, warmed by the steam over the stove, she noticed as they rested their foreheads together after pulling apart for air, Pearl massaging the tension she could feel in the muscles on Garnet’s back, and Garnet threading her fingers through her girlfriend’s hair, he other hand resting on the counter next to Pearl’s thigh. 

“The food’s probably burning,” Garnet whispered, the sensation of her breath ghosting on her girlfriend’s lips, and the two moved away from each other to resume their previous positions, but there was a warm feeling in Pearl’s chest that remained for the entire evening as they ate their meal, relaxed together and lay cuddling in Garnet’s bed.   
________

Pearl was sure she was the colour of a fire hydrant right now. 

She lay naked on the couch in the living room, bathed in the bright late morning daylight, as Garnet dragged a stool over from the kitchen to sit in front of an easel. 

“So you’re not gonna draw my face?” Pearl asked nervously

“Nothing above the neck,” Garnet promised “don’t want the teacher finding out who you are and fighting me for your affections.”

Pearl relaxed a little but still felt incredibly tense. She didn’t think she’d ever felt more afraid, or embarrassed. She felt so awkward lying on their couch, suddenly uncomfortably aware with every flaw she could perceive in her body. 

Garnet left the stool to crouch down on the floor next to the couch. 

“You don’t have to do this if you feel uncomfortable,” she said earnestly, pressing a kiss on the redhead’s forehead and trailing her thumb across her cheek. Pearl shivered slightly. 

“I want to do it,” she said quietly “I’m just…scared. I don’t know why. It’s you, I know you’d never laugh at me but…what are you doing?”

Garnet pulled her t-shirt off over her head. 

“I thought maybe if we were on a more equal footing you’d feel better,” she answered, sliding off her jeans, and turning her back so that Pearl could unhook her bra for her while she removed her underwear. 

“Better?” Garnet said, placing her clothes in a neat pile. 

“In a way, yes.” Pearl smiled. 

“Good. Now stop talking,” she pressed a chaste kiss to the other girl’s lips before returning to the stool, and Pearl let her mind wander over her girlfriend’s body as Garnet began drawing.   
______________________

They didn’t build up the courage to say ‘I love you’ to each other for the first time until a few days after that, but Pearl knew that was when she realised she loved Garnet, and that Garnet loved her. Indeed, their lecturer had waxed lyrically to Garnet in an email about ‘the love and emotion behind each pencil stroke’ as feedback after the work was submitted a month later, and they were making love for the first (and later second) time on that same couch within minutes after reading said email. When she rang to inform her sister of how perfect her life was going, Amethyst replied only with “Ew,” before hanging up and declining her sister’s calls for the next three days. Garnet did however receive an emotional and very drunk voicemail from Amethyst at 4am the next day telling her not to break Pearl’s heart, so Pearl knew she had her sister’s support.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> here it is! Sorry for the wait, hopefully you thought it was worth it (:


End file.
